Category Archives: London Assembly

Election countdown: splintered voting could see Davis win

Less than one month until election day, our Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, looks at the latest polls and by-elections to assess – or guess – how the Croydon electorate will vote for executive Mayor on May 7 While the government … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Council Tax, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, London-wide issues, Merton, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rick Howard, Shirley North, Sutton Council, Tony Newman, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Labour’s new ‘Lord Len’ might yet play role in 445-flat scheme

Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the revolving door between City Hall, south London councils and lobbying firms, and how that might play a part in this week’s big residential scheme at Croydon’s planning committee Len Duvall, the longest-serving London Assembly … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Fairfield, Housing, Lewisham, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Lord Len Duvall, Planning, Property, Southwark Council, Woburn Court and Bedford Court | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council fails to spend £4m grant on climate change in 9 years

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘The council declared a climate emergency in 2019, but where’s the emergency response? This is a fight for survival, not a PR exercise.’ That’s according to one resident who wants to ask some pointed questions at next … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Caroline Russell, Climate Crisis Commission, Community associations, Croydon Community Energy, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Environment, Fairfield, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Paul Ainscough, Zack Polanski, Zoe Garbett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Delve behind the headlines on Allders, The Fold, Anonyvoter and campaign launches, with our regular subscriber podcast

Our Croydon Insider podcasts are an (almost) regular delve behind the headlines at the stories that matter to you, Inside Croydon’s loyal readers. And in our latest wide-ranging episode – part of what has been described as a “citizens’ revolt … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Allders, Annabel Smith, Climate Crisis Commission, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon Insider, Croydon West, Environment, Garwood Foundation, Housing, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Local media, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Neil Bennett, New Addington, New Addington North, North End Quarter, Peter Underwood, Sarah Jones MP, Under The Flyover, Whitgift Centre, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Labour’s scandals and dramas reflected in Croydon politics

The 2025 Labour Party Conference begins in Liverpool on Sunday. Here, our columnist, ANDREW FISHER, pictured right, the party’s former director of policy, assesses the state of Labour little more than a year into Keir Starmer’s government. And he takes … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Fisher, Croydon East, Croydon West, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Fairfield, Natasha Irons, New Addington, New Addington North, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Waddon, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘A disaster’: Gatwick expansion is real threat to environment

‘Signing off on a new runway at Gatwick is not just reckless, it is fundamentally incompatible with Britain’s legally binding climate obligations’. Yet Croydon’s Tory and Labour politicians are in full support of the airport expansion. By PAUL LUSHION, environment … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon West, East Croydon, Environment, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons, Norwood Junction, Sarah Jones MP, Transport, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Calls for TfL to save £80m a year by scrapping 60+ Oyster card

As many as 60,000 Croydon residents could lose their 60+ Oyster discount travelcard if calls to scrap the benefit to reduce future fare rises are taken on board by Transport for London. The 60+ Oyster entitles holders to free travel … Continue reading

Posted in Commuting, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

London Mayor Khan is 12,000 homes short of his own target

According to figures from City Hall, just 347 new affordable homes have been started in London in three months since April. Inside Housing reports the figures from the Greater London Authority which also show that 312 of the homes were … Continue reading

Posted in Housing, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Now Streatham MP Reed faces court action over water torture

Rivers charity begins a Judicial Review, accusing the environment secretary of having ‘no policy at all’ for solving the crisis around Thames Water  Environment secretary Steve Reed, the MP for Streatham (and Croydon North, if he can ever be bothered) … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Environment, Leonie Cooper, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Thames Water | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Bromley by-election sees historic first Reform win in London

Political Editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on how Alan Cook’s poll success on the other side of the borough boundary is sending shock waves into Croydon They’re going to need a bigger vote… You know how, early in the original Jaws movie, … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Bromley Council, Coulsdon, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon West, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, New Addington, New Addington North, Rowenna Davis, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Tony Newman, Waddon, Zack Polanski | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Perry’s poor waffle performance shows who is really in charge

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough’s £82,000 per year executive Mayor gave up a morning of his valuable time to help a property PR firm boost the flagging credibility of Westfield’s town centre proposals. And there among the breakfast croissants and … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, North End Quarter, Planning, Tom Copley, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Assembly Member calls on Reed to nationalise Thames Water

With backing of London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, Labour’s Leonie Cooper calls for water utilities ‘that put the needs of the public and the environment ahead of private profit’ Senior figures in the Labour Party in London have joined calls … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Environment, Leonie Cooper, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North, Thames Water | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mayor Khan fires starting pistol for £130m sports centre refurb

‘There’s no downside to redeveloping Crystal Palace’ says Khan as work finally begins to bring the former National Sports Centre back into working order – perhaps even as part of a bid for London to host the 2040 Olympics Plans … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 Olympics, Athletics, Basketball, Bromley Council, Cricket, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Football, London Assembly, Mayor of London, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Sadiq Khan, Sport, Swimming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Landowner wants public cash to help delayed Westfield project

EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The Whitgift Foundation is in talks with the Mayor of London and central government for another multi-million-pound bail-out for Croydon, this one likely to centre around building around 3,000 homes in the town centre. That’s according … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Charity, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, North End Quarter, Old Palace, Planning, Property, Roisha Hughes, Schools, TfL, Tom Copley, Trinity School, Under The Flyover, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

1,700 jobs to be axed at ‘rapidly shrinking’ Metropolitan Police

The “rapidly shrinking” Metropolitan Police is to axe 1,700 police, staff and community support officers due to a £260million budget shortfall. The cuts will fall mainly on the Royal Parks Police, which is to be disbanded, on dog units and … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Knife crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Policing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Big Brother arrives in Croydon with Orwellian police cameras

North End and London Road are to be the first locations in the country to have permanently fitted Live Facial Recognition cameras, despite significant concerns about the legalities of the surveillance techniques and questions over their whether they even work … Continue reading

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Crime, Croydon Council, Croydon West, Fairfield, Knife crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Policing, Ria Patel, Zoe Garbett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Opportunity knocks as Negrini does a MIPIM turn for London

Watch out London. The capital city’s Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, has made his first visit to MIPIM, the global property developers conference staged each spring in Cannes, with a notorious reputation in the past as a “booze and hookers fest”. … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon BID, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Jo Negrini, Jules Pipe, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tom Copley, Transport, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sutton Council plans £400 payment hikes for disabled and poor

INSIDE SUTTON: Poor and disabled residents will be forced to pay Council Tax to help the Liberal Democrat-run council balance its budget. EXCLUSIVE by DAVE BURTON A meeting at Sutton Civic Centre tonight will make the first moves towards rubber … Continue reading

Posted in Barry Lewis, Council Tax, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Age UK calls for Mayor Khan to act against Post Office closures

The charity Age UK has joined the campaign to save London’s Post Offices – including the under-threat counter service provided on Croydon High Street. The Post Office closure plans were revealed in November, with 115 Crown Post Offices to close … Continue reading

Posted in Age UK Croydon, Business, Croydon West, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Post Office, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Police drop investigation into London Assembly Member Desai

The Metropolitan Police has ended its investigation into what was reported as “a serious allegation” against a senior London Assembly Member, with no charges or further action to be taken, lawyers acting for Unmesh Desai have said today. Desai, the … Continue reading

Posted in London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Unmesh Desai | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

News black-out after Labour Party suspends Assembly Member

EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Unmesh Desai, the London Assembly Member for The City and East London, has been suspended by the Labour Party following what was initially reported as “a police investigation into a serious allegation”. A spokesperson for the … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Tony Newman, Unmesh Desai | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ghost of Brick by Brick comes to haunt London Mayor Khan

BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent, identifies some troubling similarities between the collapse of Croydon’s failed housing company and recent auditors’ warnings over a GLA-owned development firm A housing company established by the Greater London Authority which has received £300million in loans … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Tom Copley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Planning battle over The Lawns after council official’s threats

Five years’ work has been wasted after Croydon Council planners rejected a planning application from a community group in Upper Norwood to build seven not-for-profit flats in a scheme instigated by… Croydon Council. BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent, reports An enterprising … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Tom Copley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Croydon among worst-hit by Tory gerrymandering ID rules

At least one-third of voters who were turned away from polling stations at the London elections in May did not bother returning to cast a vote, according to figures released by a London Assembly Member. From a Tory perspective, the … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

ULEZ has seen reduction in some pollutants of up to 20%

The expansion of ULEZ to Croydon and the rest of outer London has had a “positive impact” on air quality and reduced harmful emissions, according to a report from City Hall. Some emissions levels in outer London are reckoned to … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Russell, Environment, Health, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Transport, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment